AT LAST! ! ! ! !

AT LAST . . .

WE DID IT! Well, gang, after the long, cold winter of the last eight years, we did it! We took our country back. I've been boo hooing my eyes out for a week now, and am ready to roll up my sleeves and join my neighbors to push our way out of this mess we're in.I was so touched by pictures of the world celebration as we bring our country back to join the world. I've been reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, and I was so touched by the boy, Edgar telling his dog he was sorry for slighting her, and his dog replies, "You were lost," and he says, "Yes."

I'm telling the world, "We are sorry. We were lost. But today is a brand new day, and together, We Can Do It!"

So, my mission now is to shake off my long standing sorrow and malaise, pick up my writing where I left off, and I will see you all soon. In the mean time, WOO HOO! WE DID IT ! ! !

Free at Last, Free at Last: Landslide for a Brand New Day!

After eight long years under a virtual dictator, we are free at last, free at last! Celebrate. Kiss your honey. Call your friends. Take a breath.

Because now the real work begins. Barack has done an amazing thing. We have done an amazing thing. But freedom comes at a price. And what we choose to do with that freedom is up to us.

The Bush years have been progressively worse for all of us--in our state, in our country, in our world. And when we dared to protest, we were called "unpatriotic" and "uninformed."

For my part, I did not go buy duct tape. I did not go buy plastic sheeting, nor did I do my "patriotic duty" and go shopping. Somewhere along the line, I stopped writing. But I did something worse. I went underground, listening to the soft animal inside me turn into a howling, starveling wolf, and I did nothing about it.

We had a chance to come together September 11, and we blew it. Now, we have a chance again. I have let the starveling wolf loose. I have made friends with her, and she and I intend to make a difference. I believe in Obama. We have a long way to go. Prop 8 was a disaster in California. Republicans once again own Texas. Though nationally, we won in a landslide of electoral votes, we didn't win by much of a popular margin. We have a lot of work to do. Wake up that starveling wolf. Take a stand.

I believe in Obama. I believe in myself. And I believe in you, my friend. Let's do it. Let's make a better America.

Not Gonna Take It Anymore

I have an admission to make. In the past, I have been silent when the lady at the grocery store and various other miscreants have made jokes and said outrageous things about Obama.

I was afraid someone would key my car, or *gasp* think I don't belong.
Not anymore. I was at the gas station today, and a woman said, "Wanna hear an Obama joke?" and I said, "I voted for him. Still want to tell me?" Then I proceeded to tell her why I voted for Obama, which went over like an unleaded balloon. I know I probably didn't change her mind, but I planted a seed.

I wear my Obama shirts everywhere these days, and they always gets comments. I went to the local chamber of commerce to pick up information on upcoming holiday events, and the lady at the chamber of commerce sneered at my shirt and said, "You know, he doesn't put his hand over his heart when he says the Pledge of Allegiance," whispering like our next president was trying to spread the plague.

I stood there, staring at her. "You know that for sure?" I said. "You've actually been to a place where Obama was saying the Pledge of Allegiance? Wow, I wish I'd been there. I'd have asked for his autograph."

At the freaking chamber of commerce she said this. I thought the chamber spoke for all its citizens, and sorry, gang, that includes me. Where do these people get this stuff?

After that, I made my weekly trek to my town's teeny tiny grocery store, where an older gentlman with a Vietnam Vet cap kept staring at me. Since I try to ignore people who stare at me, I briefly checked to make sure my shirt wasn't unbuttoned, then I went about my business, looking for late-season strawberries that didn't look stricken with mold or other off-season biohazards. At the checkout, that same gentleman tapped me on the shoulder, and he said, "I appreciate your courage. I voted for him too."

Wow. How bad is it when a Vietnam vet tells you that you have courage for wearing a tee-shirt? I hugged him, took off my Obama button and gave him that, my telephone number, and told him if he ever felt alone, he could give me a call.

I am ashamed of my previous silence, and I wish I'd had the balls to stand up to these uninformed people for the past few months, rather than the past few weeks.
I'm here in the Hill Country, deep in the heart of Texas. I am a democrat, and I suspect I'm not alone.